The average composer makes $4,800 per year

There is a lot of music out there. And the value of new works is going down. New pieces have an average commission of $1,800, and despite people looking for new commissions, there are less of them to be had.

According to the published results, the top 1% of composers are doing fine. Which makes sense, because the top 1% of everything is fine… because Zipf’s Law.

Interesting bit… the people who got the best commissions were not considered “established”. It could be that clients are looking for “new” sounds, or new composers can spend more time marketing themselves. (It could be half a hundred other things, but as a preliminary finding it is worth noting!)

The study doesn’t really apply to me or most people I know… we’re a part of a different kind of world of “Composing/Producing”. If you like a composer – please support them!

If you are a composer, and found an interesting way to make a living with your music, let me know. Most composers don’t have merch tables… maybe they should!